This invention relates to a support for articles having an elongated portion. More specifically, this invention relates to such a support made from wire. This invention can be used, for example, for supporting the stems of living plants, for arranging cut flowers in a bouquet or for storing writing implements.
In the field of plant husbandry, it is useful to provide support for the stems of plants in order to protect them from potential damage from the elements like wind and rain. Further, in some cases, it is useful to provide support for a number of stems and, at the same time, keep the individual stems separated. There are a number of examples of plant supports in the field which serve this purpose. For example, the Grow-Thru Plant Support manufactured by Woodstock Wire Works, Inc. Woodstock, Ill. may be used to support long stemmed flowers like delphiniums, peonies, foxgloves, veronicas, stocks and carnations. The Grow-Thru support incorporates a horizontal wire grid feature that contains a plurality of openings. The flower stems grow through, are supported by and are held separated by this wire grid. The grid is formed from several pieces of wire welded together.
Use of a wire grid to support a number of articles has also been shown in other fields. For example, Rosenwald (U.S. Pat. No. 1,491,926) describes a support for cut flowers which includes a similar wire mesh support to facilitate the arrangement of the cut flowers in making a bouquet. In another example, Jouffray (U.S. Pat. No. 2,193,727) describes a support for storing writing implements which includes a feature made from a wire mesh.
Most such supports made from wire, like those referred to above, are composed of a number of wires. It would be a simplification to make such a support from a single piece of wire. However, prior supports intended for supporting a number of articles and made from a single wire do not surround and separate the individual articles being supported. As a result, they do not provide support in all lateral directions. For example, Thomsen (U.S. Pat. No. 2,173,217) describes a plant support with a supporting feature made from a single piece of wire wound into a spiral. Asman (U.S. Pat. No. 2,003,101) describes a flower holder with a supporting feature made from a single piece of wire bent into a serpentine. Krumholz (U.S. Pat. No. 1,775,203) describes a flower support with a support feature made from a single wire formed into a substantially circular head with indentations extending inward toward the center.
Some supports have been described which incorporate a wire formed in a series of closed loops that do surround and separate the individual articles being supported. However, these designs do not take advantage of the surprising increase in rigidity resulting from the looped wire construction in order to minimize the number of components. For example, rather than a simple design employing a single central shaft to support the looped wire form, they employ several supporting members.
For example, Vogt (U.S. Pat. No. 933,142) describes a flower stand or rack which incorporates a looped wire form but includes seven supporting members. In another example, Orman (U.S. Pat. No. 456,175) describes an umbrella holder which incorporates a looped wire form but has at least 4 supporting members.
Finally, it would also be advantageous to make such a support that was ornamental in design. A support that was ornamental as well as functional would be of more value to the user. However, attempts to make ornamental wire supports have resulted in complicated designs made from several pieces of wire. For example, the Sunflower Trellis available from Vision Sales, Inc., Bloomingdale, Ill. is constructed from several pieces of formed wire welded together to form an ornamental design. In another example, Baldwin (U.S. Pat. No. 603,754) shows an ornamental trellis that is formed by twisting several pieces of wire together.
Accordingly, several objects and advantages of the present invention are,
(1) to provide a support for multiple articles having elongated portions,
(2) to incorporate a positive article supporting feature which completely surrounds and keeps separated the individual articles being supported,
(3) to take advantage of the surprising increase in rigidity afforded to a wire shape when formed into a series of closed loops in order to minimize the number of components,
(4) to provide a support for elongated articles that is ornamental in design.
Still further objects and advantages will become apparent from a consideration of the ensuing description and drawings.
In accordance with the present invention, a device for restraining one or more articles that have an elongated portion includes a single elongated shaft having at a first end a head comprising a single wire bent in a substantially cycloid fashion to form a plurality of closed loops for restraining the articles. When I refer to the shaft having a head at a first end in this specification and the appended claims, it is to be understood that the head may in fact be near the end of the shaft. The term cycloid used here and in the appended claims refers to a progression of curved patterns.